“We are the only ones standing in the way of this movement to turn the country to the far right,” Hoffa said. “They’re taking us on because they realize if they can knock out labor…they’ll have a free run.”Posted on 09/13/2012 4:37:20 PM PDT by mdittmar
(WASHINGTON) -- Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa said today in a National Press Club speech that organized labor is the country’s last barricade against a Tea Party takeover of the Republican Party that has lurched to the extreme right by inflaming cultural differences and declaring a war on American workers.
“We are the only ones standing in the way of this movement to turn the country to the far right,” Hoffa said. “They’re taking us on because they realize if they can knock out labor…they’ll have a free run.”
He cited coordinated, well-funded GOP efforts to roll back collective bargaining rights, suppress voter registration, attack women’s rights and champion policies that benefit wealthy Americans.
“We’re fighting very hard to make sure we restore the balance in the country,” Hoffa said, adding that “this election is going to decide whether the rich get richer, whether we’re going to have food stamps and Social Security.”
The Teamsters Union is historically a politically bipartisan union that has backed pro-labor Republicans. But the union has found that the GOP has left workers behind, Hoffa said. He called the Democratic Party a “big tent” of diversity. But at the recent Republican National Convention, “all I saw was 1 percenters—it was like looking at the Rotary Club,” he said.
He blasted Republican congressional leaders for fixating on trying to defeat President Obama instead of doing what is best for the country—restoring the U.S. economy and putting Americans back to work.
“Somebody has to say, ‘Do you really want to solve America’s problems?’” Hoffa said, adding that “the words we really need to bring back are ‘bipartisanship’ and ‘compromise.’”
Solving the country’s problems must start with bringing back jobs to the United States, he said. NAFTA has been a “disaster,” and tax laws need to be changed so that companies are not rewarded for shipping jobs overseas and that they also pay their fair share.
“There’s something wrong when some of our biggest corporations don’t pay any taxes,” said Hoffa, who noted that U.S. businesses are sitting on more than $1.5 trillion in cash reserves domestically. “Start investing in this country,” he urged.
No collective bargaining against taxpayer dollars!
Well if they are fighting BACK, then We The People have to kick their ASS!
Time for him to start looking for a concrete bed.
One of those giant companies that don’t pay taxes is GM, what about that Hoffa?
Pray for America
It would be a real shame if Junior followed in his father’s cement footsteps.
When did the Tea Party take over Republican Party? I mean really if they had we’d have a budget, reduced spending, no obamacare, enemies wouldn’t be killing our people overseas........
.....and Mitt Romney would not be the Republican nominee.
What Hoffa really means is that we already own everybody else. The only threat to them is the tea party.
What an idiot. His own members are committing employment suicide by the droves. Finally, I think the rest of the country is getting the whole union scheme.
Yep
I wish he would just go away.
Can’t wait until sonny boy gets the cement boots pops got.
Insanity runs in this family.
LLS
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